Pre-Interview Preparation - Organisation

Who, What, Where, When?

Adequate preparation before a face to face interview is crucial to demonstrating excellent organisation and time management skills, professionalism and a genuine interest in the position and/or company. 

Try to find out the name and position of the person who will be interviewing you. Referring to this person by name during the interview will allow you to engage them and build strong rapport. 

Ensure you are clear on the interview date, time and location. If possible, do a test drive the day before your interview so you know where you are going and how long it will take you to get there. If you are unable to do a test drive, look up the address a day before your interview by using online maps or a street directory. If the address/directions are confusing or unclear, contact the company or interviewer and ask for clarification.

If you plan to catch public transport, which is generally not recommended, allow enough time for delays. Planning ahead will also help to ease your nerves on the day.

Documentation

You may be asked to bring your birth and/or citizenship certificate, educational/training certificates, tickets, licences, academic transcripts etc. with you to the interview. It is important to gather all the documents requested ahead of time, just in case you have misplaced any documents and need to source copies. 

Take a copy of your Resume and Cover Letter to the interview in a folder, as well as the job ad that you have applied for. Have a think about some questions that you want to ask the interviewer and write these down so you can refer to them during the interview.

BE ON TIME!

Do not be late to your interview. Arriving late is the most detrimental thing you can do, as it gives the impression that you are a tardy individual, who will possibly be late to work if hired. It is also highly frustrating and annoying for an interviewer when a candidate is running late. Not only does this make you look unprofessional and unorganised, it also affects the interviewer’s schedule when they have several candidates to interview. As a result, the interviewer will spend less time with you.

Furthermore, being late for an interview will cause you to panic and put you in a negative head space, which will ultimately set you up for failure. It is better to arrive early and sit in your car, or have a coffee somewhere. 

In the event that things happen outside of your control and you know you are going to be late, give the interviewer or the company a courtesy call to advise them how long you will be.